I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest
by dolphintale204
Summary: He notices that she's not the same as before. Not since his childhood friend came back from the dead. Truth be told, there's nothing special going on between him and his old friend. There may have been times in the past… but it's in the past. He knows that his childhood friend isn't for him. He knows, that instead, she's the one for him. He just can't make her realize it.
1. The Smile

**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**

 _Chapter 1 - The Smile_

 ** _Summary_** _: He notices that she's not the same as before. Not since his childhood friend came back from the dead. Truth be told, there's nothing special going on between him and his old friend. There may have been times in the past… but it's in the past. He knows that his childhood friend isn't for him. He knows, that instead, she's the one for him. He just can't make her realize it._

.:**:. .:**:.

'Who's the dense one now, Luce?'

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнe ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

"Let us celebrate the homecoming of our long-lost guildmate, Lisanna! Let the party begin!" Makarov shouted. Raising his beer mug into the air, he cheered with the loud and rambunctious guild called Fairy Tail.

.:**:. .:**:.

The party had already went on for about an hour or so, and the crowd around Lisanna had lessened.

Natsu found Lucy talking to Mirajane, rather nervously. He overheard part of their conversation. "Mira, I don't know if Lisanna will like me! She might get mad at me for being too close to Natsu, and think that I like him!" Lucy said nervously.

"And you don't like Natsu?" Mira asked while grinning suggestively.

Lucy lowered her voice so much, that even with his dragon slayer hearing, Natsu couldn't figure out what Lucy had said. But even so, what he had heard made his heart beat in a way he'd never felt before. His attention was brought back to the two talking at the bar. "Just talk to her! My sister would love you." Mirajane insisted.

Natsu figured it was time for him to step in. "Hey Luce!" he called, trying to act casual. Who knew what Lucy would do to him if she knew he was eavesdropping. But he wished he could hear Lucy's reply to Mira's question. "Want to meet Lisanna? I told her about you, so she already knows how nice you are!"

A smile grew on Lucy's face. Having Natsu introduce her to Lisanna would make things easier… she hoped. Her smile dropped. Lucy knew how close Natsu and Lisana were as kids. They even were talking about marriage. From what she heard from her guildmates, it was a joke Lisanna made just to see Natsu embarrassed.

"Um, Luce?" Natsu had noticed the rather sad look take away her smile. He didn't like that. Maybe meeting Lisanna would make her smile again.

"Huh?" Lucy realized Natsu had just asked a question, and was expecting her answer. "Sure Natsu, that would be great."

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy was pulled along by Natsu, who was tightly gripping her arm. She protested, but was quickly cut off. "Hey Nat-"

"Ooh, are you Lucy Heartfillia? It's so nice to meet you normally!" Lucy turned to the white haired take-over mage. She smiled. _'Lisanna seems really nice!'_

"It's nice to meet you Lisanna! I know we've met before, but those times were under, uh, strange circumstances." Lucy said, giggling lightly. Lisanna laughed too, and they started chatting away happily.

Natsu crept off unnoticed, as he let the two alone. He was happy again, for just meeting Lisanna had made Lucy smile. Her smile was really important, Lucy had become the happy ray of sunshine in the guild. She would always be there to cheer him or others up, never left others to face their troubles alone, and she never gave up.

A light blush formed across his face. _'That smile…'_

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Well, how was it? I hope it's okay! Apologies for any OOC ness. It's my first attempt for a multi-chaptered fanfic. I plan on continuing this, and soon! In fact, I've already got an idea for the next chapter. But, I don't want to post things too quickly or slowly. So, seeing that something like this is in other people's fanfics: (I changed it a bit)**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 4 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **20 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

 **Of course, I may not be able do it if problems occur, but I will try my best. So the rate in which I put up new chapters is all up to you!**


	2. Acting Very Suspiciously

**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**

 _Chapter 2 - Acting Very Suspiciously_

 **Previously:** _Natsu crept off unnoticed, as he let the two alone. He was happy again, for just meeting Lisanna had made Lucy smile. Her smile was really important, Lucy had become the happy ray of sunshine in the guild. She would always be there to cheer him or others up, never left others to face their troubles alone, and she never gave up._

 _A light blush formed across his face._ 'That smile…'

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy and Lisanna hit it off right away. Within a few days of Lisanna's return, you could often see Lucy, Lisanna, Levy, and often a few other girls chatting away. Also, the guys were hanging around there a lot as well. Especially Natsu. And with most of the guys all in one area… Let's just say the guild had _way_ more brawls than before, and a certain dragon slayer and an ice mage got many more cuts and bruises than they normally got. Courtesy of Erza.

Lucy knew Natsu was _very_ happy to see Lisanna back, but she started to feel like something was going on. Sometimes, she could see Natsu and Lisanna in a corner of the guild, talking in hushed voices. Once or twice, she saw Levy or Mirajane with them. When she wasn't looking, Lucy felt as if one person - or a few - were watching her.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy had invited some of the girls in the guild to come over to her house. Secretly. Otherwise, a pesky dragon slayer, his annoying blue flying cat, and some others would try to break into Lucy's house.

Lucy, Levy, and Lisanna sat on Lucy's bed. Erza was lounging on the couch next to Mirajane, drinking tea and eating none other than strawberry cake. Wendy, Carla, Evergreen, and a few others were scattered across the carpet, seated on a cushion. Cana was already a bit drunk. She had brought a barrel of beer with her.

"I guess this is a party of sorts, just for us girls!" Lucy said, bringing attention to her. "We can all just chat and catch up on things, or gossip."

Levy nodded. "I'm pretty sure Mirajane and Evergreen would have something juicy to share with us." Levy grinned and winked at Mirajane. Mira would probably have the latest news on models, or guild news. Or, she could start talking about crushes, which was something they were really were not looking forwards to.

.:**:. .:**:.

The girls started moving around, talking to others about various topics. Such as latest missions, boys, shopping, the latest fashion, and so much more. Lisanna found Lucy, and they both sat down on Lucy's bed. Lucy could immediately tell Lisanna was going to be talking about something serious, so they moved closer to the window, and further away from the group, then started talking in hushed tones.

"Lucy, you know Natsu has been talking a lot about you." Lisanna started.

"Um, really? That's a surprise." Lucy replied, scratching her head. She was a bit puzzled. _'What did Natsu tell Lisanna about me? And why would Lisanna be telling me about this?'_

Lisanna smirked a bit. "It shouldn't be, Lucy. He talks a lot about how great you are, how nice you can be. You have no clue as to how much he talks about you. He talks about you a lot." Tilting her head to one side, she added on, "And Happy talks about you to. But he says stuff like how much you eat, how heavy yo-"

"That cat! I'm gonna wring his neck the next time I see him!" Lucy burst out, shouting. "Oops." Everyone else had become silent, and they were all looking at Lucy. "W-well, uh, Happy was being mean to me!" she said, then realized how ridiculous that sounded. The blue cat in question was no where to be seen.

As conversations started up again, Lucy turned back to Lisanna. "So why are you telling me this?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Smirking again, Lisanna replied, "Doesn't that make you think? If Natsu talks so much about you, he must like you, right?"

Lucy protested profusely. "N-no, I don't think Natsu would ever like me. He probably doesn't think about liking girls. And if he were to like a girl, it would have to be you. After all, you've known each other since childhood. And you asked him to marry you!" To tell the truth, Lucy wanted Natsu to like herself, but figured it was impossible. "It's impossible for him to like me." She said, voicing her thoughts.

"Nope!" Lisanna said in a chirpy voice. "I was only teasing him about marrying me. He looked so funny when he was embarrassed! And since I was his childhood friend, I should know when he likes someone, right?"

Lucy knew Lisanna had a point there. "Yeah, if anyone would know, it would be you."

Lisanna pulled Lucy closer. She whispered, "So do you like Natsu?"

A brilliant shade of red bloomed on Lucy's cheeks. "I do." She whispered. "But, how can you tell Natsu likes me?"

.:**:. .:**:.

Little did the girls know, a blue winged exceed was right outside the very window Lucy and Lisanna were near. And he had heard every single word. Chuckling quietly, he flew off. He could tell Mira later. Oh, he could just imagine the amount of fish Mira would reward him with.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lisanna grinned. "I won't tell you the secret as to how I can tell Natsu likes you, but I'll tell you one thing."

"What?"

"He sometimes acts very suspiciously."

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: I got too excited, so I posted this one... tehe. Whew, second chapter done. Is it okay? I kinda felt that it needed a tad more action, but I need that spark of inspiration. Let me know what you think, please! And all those reviews so far, I never expected so many! And thanks to the reviews, follows, and favs, I could post this up fairly quickly.**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Pika** _._ **cutie93 - Lisanna won't be the bad guy! She's an amazing person in Fairy Tail.**

 **Extreme399 - Is this long enough? XD**

 **To all the others who reviewed - Thanks a million! It's great encouragement, and made me feel a lot better about continuing.**


	3. Cat's out of the Bag

**_I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest_**

 _Chapter 3 - Cat's Out of the Bag_

 **Previously:** _Little did the girls know, a blue winged exceed was right outside the very window Lucy and Lisanna were near. And he had heard every single word. Chuckling quietly, he flew off. He could tell Mira later. Oh, he could just imagine the amount of fish Mira would reward him with._

 _.:**:. .:**:._

 _Lisanna grinned. "I won't tell you the secret as to how I can tell Natsu likes you, but I'll tell you one thing."_

 _"What?"_

"He sometimes acts very suspiciously."

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

 **A/N: Okay, so this is rare because I don't normally include an Author's Note before the fanfic. But, as you read this new chapter (Up in 5 days, thanks to all of you!) I hope you keep this in mind. I know I say I'll post when I get _ amount of reviews, favs, and follows, but the one thing I love the most is the reviews. They help me grow as a writer, and helps me to make this fanfic better for you! Don't be afraid to criticize my work, after all, you're only helping me!**

.:**:. .:**:.

Happy, the blue winged exceed, flew towards the guild. He had always guessed that Lucy liked Natsu, and Natsu liked Lucy. But they were just too dense to admit it. Lucy and Natsu were always together, when someone said Natsu's name, they almost always said Lucy in the same sentence. The two needed that little push to get them together. For now, he would keep what he heard a secret. But when he saw Mira…

.:**:. .:**:.

"Bye everyone! See you all tomorrow!" Lucy called. The girls had stayed for about two hours, and it was around two in the afternoon. She showed them all out the door, and stretched with a loud sigh. After talking to Lisanna, she and the other girls had started playing a game of 'Would You Rather'. Cana, of course, wanted to add a spin on it, but Lucy and the others had insisted on playing it normally. Who knew how crazy Cana could make a normal game turn into.

Heading to the bathroom, Lucy figured she could take a bath before she headed to the guild. Hopefully Natsu wouldn't enter her house while she was taking the bath. Otherwise, he'd either raid her fridge or find her novel and start reading it. Ugh. Not good.

After her talk with Lisanna, Lucy had become a bit more confident in trying to get Natsu to realize that she liked him. Deciding to wear something different from her usual outfit, she choose to go with a knee-length dress. It was made of different thin layers, each a different shade of red, orange, and yellow. Just like the fire a certain dragon slayer would always play around with.

.:**:. .:**:.

As soon as Mira walked through the guild doors, Happy's eyes tracked her movement across the guild. He waited for Mira to settle down at the bar, before he made his move. Landing on the bar table, he watched as Mira took Macao and Wakaba's orders, and chuckled quietly as Mira gave them the 'demon glare' when they started acting perverted.

Finally, Mira seemed to have nothing to do, and was sitting on a stool behind the bar. "Mira!" Happy called, waving as he landed on the bar. With a bright glow, his wings disappeared. Mira looked up, and gave a bright smile at the exceed. "Hello Happy, would you like anything?" Happy smirked. "You can reward me with lots of fish after I tell you something. Listen closely." With a raised eyebrow, Mira sat down and leaned in close to Happy, who started talking.

"I heard Lisanna and Lucy talking next to Lucy's apartment window. And I heard someone admit something."

"What? What?" Mira exclaimed. She was bouncing up and down in excitement. Happy was taking such a painfully long time… he wasn't talking fast enough! Mira placed a fish in front of Happy, and that got him talking again.

"I heard Lucy admit that she really does like Natsu!" Happy said. Raising a blue paw to stop Mira's squealing, he continued. "At first, Lucy thought that Natsu had always liked Lisanna, but Lisanna convinced Lucy that Natsu likes Lucy. Lucy's just worried that Natsu doesn't see her that way. So…" Happy trailed off.

"So?" Mira asked, prodding Happy to continue.

"So why don't you help Natsu and Lucy get together?" Happy asked. "We just need Natsu to admit, or figure out that he likes her."

Mira squealed. "That would be amazing! Now I need to start planning…" Abruptly running to the fridge, Mira got out two large fish and placed it on the table for Happy. He started eating in bliss, while Mira wandered off muttering, "Pink hair and brown eyed babies! Blonde hair and onyx eyed babies!" Her matchmaking brain was already planning things for tomorrow.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy had completed her bath, and stepped out of the bathroom. Natsu was lying on her bed, sound asleep. Lucy could recall Natsu doing this yesterday. And two days ago. And the day before two days ago. "Woah… Déjà vu moment." She muttered.

Slowly, Natsu stirred in his sleep. His movement caused Lucy to start yelling. "NATSU!" Lucy wasn't truly upset with Natsu, but she had to keep up the long-term 'habit', or else Natsu might figure out that something was wrong. As she yelled, she hid her fire-like dress she was planning to in the darkest corner of her closet. She didn't want Natsu to see it, at least not until she was ready to go to the guild.

"Get out!" Lucy screamed, and managed to eventually kick Natsu out the window. As she returned to the closet to get her dress, she was puzzled about one thing. She swore she saw Natsu blushing. But he couldn't be, right? After all, Natsu wouldn't care if she was only wrapped in a towel. He was _Natsu_ for Mavis' sake.

.:**:. .:**:.

Adjusting her dress, she sat down at her desk. Looking at the clock, she figured she would have enough time to write in her diary before she visited the guild. So she started writing, sometimes biting her lip in thought. In the end, this is what Lucy wrote:

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Today was a very eventful day. I got to know Lisanna better, and she is an amazing person! I invited the girls over from the guild, and we had a nice hangout. Cana made us play would you rather, but we thankfully convinced her to play it normally for once._

 _One of the would you rather Mira asked me was this: Would you rather date Natsu or Gray?_

 _Guess what I said? Natsu, of course. After all, I think I really like him. Heck, it could even be lov-_

The entry stopped there. Lucy had fallen asleep while writing, head on her desk with a peaceful smile on her face.

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu, who was outside, was worried that Lucy was taking so long. Cautiously, he entered her apartment through the window. He was expecting a kick at any moment. But as he listened, he couldn't hear much movement. Only the sound of gentle breathing. He looked towards the sound, and saw Lucy sleeping on her desk, probably tired from writing. Noticing her dress, he blushed. At the same time, his ego puffed up just a bit. Lucy was wearing a dress that looked so much like fire. His favorite thing.

Creeping over to Lucy's desk, he saw that she had written in her diary. His name caught his eye, and he proceeded to read the written entry. He came to the last few sentences. Natsu was very sure his heart skipped a beat. _'I can't believe Lucy sees me that way! I really like her too.'_

On a sudden impulsive and rather rash decision, Natsu picked up Lucy's pen. Flipping to the back of the diary, Natsu wrote on the last page. He scribbled quickly, accidentally tearing part of the page in the process. Once finished, he flipped the page back to where it was before. Natsu figured it was best if Lucy didn't figure out that anyone had seen her like it.

As he turned and leapt out the window, he cast one last glance at Lucy. He saw the diary again, and recalled what he had written on the last page of Lucy's diary.

.:**:. .:**:.

Happy grinned and smirked. He had a hunch that something was going to happen very, very soon. Flying above the city of Mangolia, he laughed and said to the air, "The cat let the cat out of the bag."

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Tehee. I won't tell you guys what Natsu wrote until later. So the more reviews, follows, or favs I get, the faster the next chapter will be up. How was this chapter? Did I make any mistakes or was anything confusing? Anyways, since I said before, that I prefer reviews to follows or favs, I have a few questions. Answer them if you'd like in your review.**

 **1)** **Do you like it if I write more, or if I write less and update quicker?**

 **2)** **What was your favorite part of this chapter?**

 **3)** **What could I improve on?**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **MarSofTheGalaxies - You wanted more, you got more! This chapter is about 1,200 words. (:**

 **BridgeBurn100 - I really like it when Lucy and Lisanna are friends too! Lisanna seems so sweet in the guild, so I don't think she'd ever do anything mean.**

 **To all the others who reviewed - Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate them. Too bad you're anonymous so I can't reply well.**


	4. He Admits, He Denies

**_I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest_**

 _Chapter 4 - He Admits, He Denies_

 **Previously:** _As he turned and leapt out the window, he cast one last glance at Lucy. He saw the diary again, and recalled what he had written on the last page of Lucy's diary._

 _.:**:. .:**:._

 _Happy grinned and smirked. He had a hunch that something was going to happen very, very soon. Flying above the city of Mangolia, he laughed and said to the air,_ "The cat let the cat out of the bag."

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

Mira had spent much of the night before mulling over what Happy had said. _'How to get Natsu to admit that he likes Lucy…'_ Mira figured that the best way would be fore him to admit it so that at least a few people in the guild heard him. That way, there would be witnesses to push Natsu into telling Lucy that he liked her.

All she had to do now was to sit back and wait. She would wait for the moment when Natsu was quiet, and Lucy was no where to be seen. Like a lioness waiting for her prey, Mira settled down to wait for the unsuspecting dragon slayer to walk through those guild doors. _'Let the waiting commence!'_

.:**:. .:**:.

Shifting a little, Natsu woke up to find himself in Lucy's bed. Right next to him was the blonde celestial mage. She was the one who caused his heart to beat in a weird way. Blushing, he quickly got out of the bed, making sure not to wake Lucy up.

As he walked past Lucy's desk on his way to the bathroom, his face started heating up as he saw the page Lucy's diary was on. _'She said she thinks she likes me. But… what if it's just as a friend? She could never love an obnoxious dragon slayer like me. If she did, she'd never kick me out of her house.'_ Natsu sighed quietly. It was too late for him to change what he had written in Lucy's diary. It was in pen, so he couldn't erase it; it was on the last page, so it would be obvious that a page was ripped out if he tried. Natsu really started to regret his quick decision.

Natsu had scribbled these words in such a rush that he had accidently ripped the last piece of paper;

 _Dear Lucy's Diary,_

 _I'm sorry for writing here without Luce's permission, but… oh well? I just want to say a few things. I'm not as dense as I seem, Lucy's denser than me, and we're both the densest people on earth. But I just want her to know that -_

 _I think I like her too._

Roughly shaking his head, Natsu washed his face quickly, dried his hands on Lucy's towel, and jumped out the window once again.

.:**:. .:**:.

Members of the guild had started arriving at the guild. She called Lisanna over, and told her the plan. "Lis, we're going to get Natsu to admit that he like Lucy in front of at least two of us. That way, he can't back away and deny that he likes her, okay? So get a few people to come over to be witnesses. All we need to do is to wait for Natsu, and we can tease him and get him to realize that he likes Lucy."

Lisanna nodded, and hurried over to Erza. At this early in the day, she was already eating strawberry cake. "Erza, can I talk to you?" Lisanna asked quietly. If she annoyed Erza while she was eating cake, or if she even touched her cake… Lisanna shivered.

"Sure." Erza said. She smiled a bit as Lisanna visibly relaxed. "What would you like to talk about?"

"It's about Natsu." Erza raised an eyebrow.

Erza ex-quipped a sword and said, "Natsu? Did he do something wrong? Do I need to go hit him?"

Giggling, Lisanna explained the situation. How Natsu liked Lucy, but thought she didn't like him, and how Lucy liked Natsu, but didn't think Natsu would ever like her. Erza listened closely, and immediately agreed to helping out with Mira's plan. "Get Gray too." Erza said.

Lisanna walked towards Gray as Erza returned to finishing off her strawberry cake. Once she told him what was happening, he agreed to it. "Of course I'll help. But I'm only doing this 'cause Flame Brain is so dense. He'd never do anything properly without my help."

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu pushed opened the guild doors. "Morning!" There was silence. The normally rowdy Fairy Tail guild was fairly quiet, besides the various soft conversations around. Looking around the guild, he noticed something going on at the bar. Happy, Erza, Lisanna, Mirajane, Elfman, Levy, and _Ice for Brains_ \- fine, Gray - were sitting at the bar staring at Natsu. They each had the same sort of smile on their face. Each of them were starting to creep him out. Natsu moved towards the bar. "Uh what's with that creepy smile on your face?"

All at once, the seven guild members stood up and some of them grabbed Natsu. Lisanna and Mira each took an arm, Happy and Levy pulled on a leg, and Erza pushed him until he was right next to a seat. "Wha- Hey guys! Let go of me!" Natsu struggled, but they had a good grip. "Sit." Erza ordered and pushed him into the bar stool. Natsu almost toppled over because he was unbalanced, and sent a glare at the snickering Gray. "Shuddup, Snow Queen." He muttered.

Mira cleared her throat. "Natsu, we have a very, _very, VERY,_ important question to ask you. And you NEED to answer us truthfully. Otherwise, Erza has permission from all of us to hit you. Painfully." Natsu shivered at the thought. "Wait, I didn't give my permission!" Protesting, Natsu was trying to find a way out of this. If Mira was involved, it probably had something to do with his love life. And he didn't need anyone to be involved, thank you. Smirking, Gray shook his head. "We don't need your permission, Flame Brain. We're just trying to help you, because you're too dense." "I am not den- Ouch!" Erza had hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious. "Oops." She said.

.:**:. .:**:.

Once Natsu had returned to the world of the conscious, and everyone quieted down, the group at the bar started talking. "Natsu." Levy said in a serious tone. "Do you like Lu-chan? As in, do you like Lucy in the way that you would want to date her? Do you like her so much that when other males flirt with her, it makes you angry? And when you look at Lu-chan, does it make your heart feel funny?" Natsu knew his answer. It was a firm 'Yes' to each of those questions. But did he really want to tell all of them? His head was now at war. If he told, they might tell the others in the guild. But if he did tell, they could help him out. Weighing the options in his head (which was starting to hurt from all the thinking) he decided.

"Yes." Natsu replied.

Mira, Lisanna, and Levy started squealing. "Oi! Zip your mouths, it's hurting my head." Natsu said.

Gray grinned and put his hand on Natsu's shoulder. "So you finally admit it, huh? I thought you wouldn't say it."

Elfman shouted, "He did it! Natsu's a man!" This attracted weird looks from the guild.

Erza spun Natsu around to face her. "Natsu, I approve of you marrying Lucy. But if you hurt her in any way…" She left the threat hanging, but it did it's job. Natsu gulped and nodded. He was relieved when she turned to Gray, glowering. "How many times have I told you not to strip?!" Erza yelled, causing Gray to go into a panic, looking for his clothes.

Then Wakaba shouted across the guild, "Natsu! Do you like Lucy?"

This caused guild members to start talking and everyone looked at Natsu. "Yeah!" Cana hollered, "I think you like Lucy! You fondled her-" She was effectively cut off from her sentence when Evergreen stopped her to save Lucy's (and Natsu's) dignity. Those at the bar stopped whatever they were doing, looking at Natsu. He face had turned a deep shade of red, which could rival Erza's hair.

Though Natsu had already admitted to the few guild members at the bar, he wasn't ready to tell the whole guild yet. So he did the only thing he could do, which was deny, deny, deny. He jumped up onto a nearby table. "No! I don't like Lucy that way! Stop saying I do, because I DON'T LIKE LUCY!"

A small voice, Levy's voice moaned. "Oh no."

Natsu whirled around to face those at the bar, a questioning look on his face. Levy's face was buried in her hands, Erza, Gray, Elfman, and Mira were glaring at him. "What?" he asked.

Answering his question, he smelled salt in the air. Also the scent of strawberries and vanilla. _'Lucy. Tears. Lucy's tears. Lucy's … tears?'_ Natsu heard the sound of quiet sobs, and he slowly turned to the guild entrance. He was dreading what he was going to see. The doors were open, Lucy was standing there, with tears streaming down her face. It was evident that she had heard Natsu deny that he liked Lucy. Then Lucy turned and ran out the guild doors.

Natsu was going to go after her, but Gray stopped him. "Don't." He murmured. Levy started running, chasing after Lucy. Lisanna ran past Natsu. As she did, he heard her whisper, "You're such an idiot, Natsu. You shouldn't say something like that. We all know you like her."

.:**:. .:**:.

As Lisanna was running after Lucy, she felt a great disappointment in Natsu. The whole guild knew that Natsu liked Lucy, and she returned his feelings, but they both were too dense to say anything. She thought bitterly, _'They're both too dense for their own good. What on earthland is going on in Natsu's head? He admits, then he denies.'_

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Well… Okay, it wasn't that good. Don't hate me! This is actually progressing faster than I thought. So was this chapter a good length? Do you want it even longer? Waaa! I don't know what to do anymore. Help me! This made me feel sad… and made me want to strangle Natsu. He's so dense! And mean! But I was the one who did that.** ***Copies Erza* "You may hit me now."** **Anyways, please review! And fav, and follow, but please review!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **93 - You wanted to know what Natsu wrote, right? Well, here it is!**

 **mizu aozora - I think I'll try to make them longer, but update quickly!**

 **To all other fanfic members: Thanks so much for reading this, and for reviewing. It helps a lot to know you're supporting me and that people actually like to read stories I write!**


	5. Taking a Leave

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 5 - Taking a Leave_

 **Previously:** _As Lisanna was running after Lucy, she felt a great disappointment in Natsu. The whole guild knew that Natsu liked Lucy, and she returned his feelings, but they both were too dense to say anything. She thought bitterly,_ 'They're both too dense for their own good. What on earthland is going on in Natsu's head? He admits, then he denies.'

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

After tracking Lucy for a few moments, both Lisanna and Levy realized that Lucy was heading to her house. "Come on, Lisanna!" Levy called, as she rounded a corner, "I know a shortcut to Lu-chan's place."

Lisanna and Levy ran faster, and got to Lucy's place just when Lucy was shutting the door. Chasing after her, they quickly opened the door. Lucy must have known they were coming, since she didn't lock the door.

Lissanna heard sniffling sounds coming from Lucy's bed. "Lucy?" she asked gently, "Would you like to talk about it?"

Lucy slowly sat up and pulled the covers down. "N-not here. They c-come in my h-house all the t-time." _Sniff._ Levy nodded, wrapping an arm around Lucy, sitting down next to her teary friend.

"Let's go on a mission tomorrow, okay? Then we'll have time to sort everything out." Levy said gently. Levy lifted her head to look at Lisanna, asking a silent question. Lisanna gave a slight nod.

"I'll find an easy mission, and tell Mira tomorrow. And to keep the others from finding you until later, would you like to sleep over at Fairy Hills tonight?" Lisanna asked. She was very worried for her new friend. Lucy seemed to really like Natsu, and Natsu did too, but he just denied everything in front of her. He's supposed to be a dragon slayer, with abnormal senses, right? How come he couldn't sense Lucy until Levy gasped? _'He's such an idiot… Hopefully he'll 'man up' before we get back.'_

As Lisanna left the house to get the mission, she heard Levy's ranting voice shouting, "That idot! Pink-haired dense little twerp! I want to push him in a lake and place him in a world without fire for all of eternity!" Lisanna smiled as she heard Lucy's giggle float out the window. Now all she had to do was to quickly get a mission.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy laughed when Levy started ranting about how stupid Natsu was. To be honest, part of her had guessed that it might turn out something like this. But it was okay. If Natsu liked Lisanna, she'd support them. Even though Lisanna had talked with her just yesterday, Lisanna was wrong. ' _Natsu doesn't like me, in fact, he said he'd never like me that way.'_

Opening a backpack, she walked over to her closet with Levy. They picked out a set of pajamas, socks, and undergarments. Then they packed them in Lucy's backpack.

Next they went to Lucy's large bathroom to choose the toiletries Lucy probably would need for the mission Lisanna was choosing. It'd probably involve fighting, and getting dirty, so she definitely wanted to get clean in a nice bath at the end of the day.

Levy took out a tub of vanilla ice cream from Lucy's fridge. She also took out two bowls and two spoons.

Now they'd gorge themselves on vanilla ice cream until they forgot all about Lucy's sorrows and boy trouble.

.:**:. .:**:.

While Levy and Lucy were at Lucy's apartment, Lisanna ran to the guild. As she opened the doors, she didn't talk much to the other guild members. She just nodded when they asked if Lucy was all right.

Then Natsu came over, and asked, "Is Lucy all right? I hope she's okay…"

That question got Lisanna very, very upset. "You idiot!" She yelled, attracting the attention of all the guild members. The guild became very, very quiet, besides the loud yelling of Lisanna.

"You think Lucy's all right? The man she likes - no, loves - yelled that he doesn't like her, right in front of the whole guild! You think she would be all right?!" Lisanna yelled. She had stepped forwards while yelling, causing Natsu to be backed up at the bar counter.

"If you think she's all right, think again, _FLAME BRAIN!_ " Lisanna was livid, but with one look at Natsu's face, she knew he got the message. He was fidgeting, as if he was trying to make up his mind on something. Suddenly, Natsu pushed Lisanna aside. He jumped onto the bar, sending a few plates and mugs of beer flying to the protest of people.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, "I'm gonna say this once! I, Natsu Dragneel, LOVES LUCY HEARTFILIA! You hear that? I love her and I'm not going to let _ANYONE_ take her away from me. Including you-" Here, Natsu pointed sharply at Gray, "Including you, Stripper, I'll never let you have Lucy!"

There was a clattering sound at the bar. All heads turned to look behind Natsu. A white-haired bar tender had fallen to the ground. Erza's plate of strawberry cake had been mushed on the floor due to Mira's fall. She had heard Natsu's confession, and was thinking about pink haired and brown eyed babies, and blonde haired onyx eyed babies.

In a rage, Titania ex-quipped a sword and stalked over to where Natsu was now shivering on the bar. "How dare you cause Mira to drop my cake?!" Erza bellowed. "It was the largest, last piece of strawberry cake for the week!" She yelled. Everyone in the guild took pity on the cowering Natsu, but none interfered. They were all afraid of becoming the target of Erza's wrath.

As a brawl broke out, Lisanna nodded, satisfied with Natsu's confession. But Lucy was still heartbroken, since she didn't hear Natsu's confession. Lisanna decided that going on a mission as planned would do Lucy good. And on the mission, Lisanna could explain to Lucy what took place in the guild.

.:**:. .:**:.

"Look for treasure… nope." Lisanna said. She was at the mission board, looking over the different missions. "Find my pet, Fluffles. No way! Who calls their pet _rat_ Fluffles?"

Sighing, she went to Mira. "Mira-nee, I can't find any good missions." She whined. "Something not stupid, good for Levy, Lucy, and myself, and something with enough jewels for Lucy's rent." Mira smiled brightly, and took out a stack of papers from a cupboard.

"I was going to put them on the board tonight, but I guess you could look at these, Lis." Mirajane said. "Just make sure to come back with Lucy safe and sound as soon as possible. I want some godchildren!"

Lisanna giggled as Mira fantasized about being godchildren to mini Lucy and mini Natsu. Picking up some missions, she leafed through them. She put the okay ones in one pile, and the bad ones in another. Finally, she found the perfect one.

"Mira-nee! I got it!" Lisanna waved the mission paper around. "Please stamp this and let the town know that we'll be going tomorrow."

Right when Lisanna was about to exit, she paused. "Natsu!" She shouted. Natsu turned around, smiling happily. "I'll be going on a mission with Lucy and Levy tomorrow. It will last about a day, so we'll be back in two days! And don't look for Lucy tonight. She'll be sleeping at Fairy Hills."

Erza, who had heard Lisanna shouting, moved next to Natsu. "If you even dare peep through any windows to look for Lucy… you won't be able to see her when she comes back." Natsu shivered. "I still haven't forgiven you for the cake." Erza said, as she stalked away.

.:**:. .:**:.

"Hello Lisanna! Found a good mission?" Lucy asked as Lisanna came through the doors of Fairy Hills. She and Levy had brought Lucy's things for the sleepover.

Lisanna waved the mission paper around. "Yup! This is what it says:

 _Help!_

 _Two giant snakes are attacking our village. They steal our cows and sheep, and ruin our buildings! We need able mage(s) to help defeat the snakes! Please visit the village of Sakura as soon as possible._

 _Reward: 150,000 jewels_

"Wow! That's a large reward!" Levy exclaimed. "I can probably use some of it to pay my rent. I only need about 30,000 to be able to pay for this month." Lucy said. Lisanna asked to confirm, "So we're going on this mission tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Lucy and Levy cheered.

.:**:. .:**:.

The lights in the room where Lisanna, Levy, and Lucy were sleeping in had been put out a few minutes ago. "Levy? Lisanna" Lucy asked quietly.

"Yes Lucy?" They replied.

"Tomorrow, let's stop at my apartment before we leave. I need to tell my landlady something."

"What is it, Lu-chan?" Levy asked.

"I just need to let her know that we're taking a leave."

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: So how was this one? I apologize for any OOCness! I'm not the best at these things, but I hope it's okay. Do you guys think Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy can fight the two big, bad, snakes? And the fact that the giant snakes are just stealing livestock and destroying buildings is kind of silly. But since this has a low rating, I don't want monsters murdering people.**

 **As usual, I post depending on reactions from you! And you probably know I prefer reviews more than anything else. Anyways, have a wonderful day, and wait for more!**

 **P.S. As some of you might know, I've started up another NaLu long-chapter fanfiction. This shouldn't affect my posting times for I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest, because I only work on it in spare time. So just a notice so that you don't worry. Thanks for your support!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Flower Crown of Poppy - Thanks for this information and opinion you shared! I'm trying to make the stories longer like you suggested.**

 **mizu aozora - We all have those moments when our family thinks we've gone insane… And Natsu** _ **did**_ **mess up big-time, but maybe he can fix it. After all, Natsu's dense, Lucy's denser, and they're the densest.**

 **To all others - Thanks for all your support! Follows and Favs do mean a lot, and I got over 20 of them in total, so this chapter's up a day earlier than it should be! Just consider it as a small present. (:**


	6. All About Natsu

**_I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest_**

 _Chapter 6 - All About Natsu_

 **Previously:** _"Tomorrow, let's stop at my apartment before we leave. I need to tell my landlady something."_

 _"What is it, Lu-chan?" Levy asked._

"I just need to let her know that we're taking a leave."

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy woke up, stretching and yawning. Lucy had a nice night of rest. She also felt like she wasn't _that_ upset with Natsu anymore. Still, Lucy figured a mission with her two close friends would do her good. Besides, she could always get more money for rent. Besides, the mission seemed simple enough. Just slay the snakes. _'Natsu would like this._ ' Lucy pulled lightly at her hair, not quite sure where that thought came from.

Anyways, about the mission. The only thing about the mission that made her kind of puzzled was why the snakes who were terrorizing the village of Sakura hadn't harmed any humans. The snakes had only stolen livestock and destroyed buildings. What were they using the livestock for? And how would they benefit from destroying the buildings?

.:**:. .:**:.

After eating a quick breakfast, the three mages headed to the train station. Taking out the mission paper, Lisanna read it out loud again.

 _"Help!_

 _Two giant snakes are attacking our village. They steal our cows and sheep, and ruin our buildings! We need able mage(s) to help defeat the snakes! Please visit the village of Sakura as soon as possible._

 _Reward: 150,000 jewels"_

Lucy bought the train tickets, and they quickly boarded the train. It wasn't that long of a ride to Sakura village, so Lucy decided to read a book instead of resting during the hour long train ride.

While she was reading, Lucy felt like something was missing. The train seemed very quiet. Too quiet. It was missing… a loud argument between Natsu and Gray. A groaning and grumbling Natsu. Without Natsu, everything seemed so, so weird. Shaking her head, Lucy tried to think of something else besides Natsu. But why would her thoughts always end up with Natsu?

Lucy didn't have much time to ponder it before the train stopped and the station for Sakura was announced. "There's not that many people getting off here. In fact, we might be the only ones." Lucy noted. _'It might have something to do with the monster snakes.'_ She thought.

"Nobody would want to come here if there's monsters around." Levy said, voicing Lucy's thoughts. As they walked out of the station to the mayor's house, they looked around. Throughout the village, Lucy saw signs of things not in order. Some houses had windows broken, and a few houses were just a pile of rubble. Here and there were feathers - presumably a chicken - and there were some dark red splotches near the edge of the village where cows and sheep grazed. All seemed peaceful, but the villagers all seemed afraid and apprehensive.

.:**:. .:**:.

After an hour of meeting with the mayor, with him explaining all that he knew about the snakes, Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy were standing outside the village. The mayor had told them in the meeting that the snakes normally came out at midday. And before twelve at noon, all the villagers had went to their houses and hid in the safest room of their houses. That way, if snakes did attack the houses, the people inside would be fairly protected.

A rattling sound came from the distance. The mayor had told use that the snakes made a rattling noise. "They're here." Lisanna announced grimly.

Lucy's lips pulled into a tight line. Looking at a hill in the distance, she saw two wiggling figures approaching. The snakes. They traveled fast, and were drawing near to the village.

One of the snakes was a deep, emerald green. This was the female, and she was not poisonous. We had decided that Lisanna should be able to handle this snake. Levy and I would go after the blood red male snake. And this male snake was very, very, poisonous. _'The red one might remind Natsu of Igneel - that is if it had wings, claws, and could blow fire out instead of injecting people with poison. Wait… why is it Natsu?'_

Before the female mages left to go to the edge of the town, Levy had done some research on the snakes. Lucy had also called out Crux for a bit to see if he could find information. The three had learned that the snake was weakest in the middle of it's eyes. They had also learned that the male snake could only inject a person with poison once every 24 hours. And the poison would spread painfully. It would be about nine days before the person died.

Nobody, nobody, would want to get bitten by this kind of snake. If they did, it would be possible to cure them, but only with two herbs mixed together. One, a herb that grows in the center of the volcano, one that is very rare and can survive the heat. The other herb is at the top of the tallest mountain in Fiore, one that can live and thrive on the cold, icy mountain.

It seemed like it could be impossible to get it. The only way you could get them was if you had mages who could do those things.

As the snakes drew nearer, Lucy unwrapped her whip, and got ready to call out Taurus. He was probably the strongest one, but definitely not the smartest. Lucy planned to call out Capricorn or Loke next. _'Natsu would love to fight.'_ Lucy shook her head quickly. _'Concentrate on the job Lucy! You can daydream about Natsu later.'_

.:**:. .:**:.

"What do you mean 'they left'?!" Natsu yelled. He had just found out that Lucy, Levy, and Lisanna had left on a mission. It was disappointing. That morning, Natsu had picked a job that Lucy might like to do. The job was something about taking care of some pet dogs for a day. Those kind of things without fighting was something Natsu didn't particularly like, but Lucy did prefer those. That way, Natsu couldn't destroy that many things. He was going to ask Lucy on the job to make up for what she heard him say. Then he found out that she was gone.

"Where did they go?" Natsu asked. "I'm going after them." His voice ended in a low growl. He was frustrated that what he had planned wasn't going to work out.

Mira squeaked softly at Natsu's ferocious face. "They left for the village of Sakura, Natsu." Mira wasn't afraid of Natsu. Instead, she was thinking of something along the lines of, _'Eek! How romantic! Natsu is worried about Lucy, and he wants to go after her like a knight of shining armor!'_

A large shadow loomed over Natsu. Mira could audibly hear Natsu gulp quickly. Turning around slowly, he backed up into the bar table as far as he could. "E-erza! W-what a surprise t-to see you h-here!" Natsu said. He had broken out in cold sweat, a very hard feat to accomplish by a _fire_ mage.

"You are not going after Lucy, and that is final! She needs some time alone." Erza slammed an armored fist into the bar table. When she lifted it up, there was a large dent in the table. Mira's smile turned into a frown. A dark aura surrounded her, showing that she was very, _very_ angry. "It's demon Mirajane!" The guild members yelled, as everyone backed away from the bar as fast as they could. Everyone besides Cana, that is. She just stayed at the bar with her barrel of beer.

Mirajane approached Erza. Natsu was cowering between the two _very_ mad, _very_ powerful mages. "Erza. How dare you mess up my bar table. You need to pay for that, right now. 50,000 jewels." Everyone knew 50,000 jewels to fix the bar table was _way_ too much to ask for. To fix the table, it would probably only cost 5,000 jewels. And Erza knew it too. "Never. You ask for way too much." The scary atmosphere around the two female mages increased.

Natsu was really nervous now. "Hey, ladies. Uh… can we break it up now?" He stood up right in between the two powerful, arguing ladies. But right at that moment, both mages attempted to punch each other.

"OOWWWW!" Instead of their fists colliding, they both hit Natsu in the head. Natsu was out cold. Erza turned around to face Gray who was snickering, her fight with Mira forgotten. "Did you do this?!" She demanded. It seemed that Erza had forgotten that she and Mira were the cause of the unconscious Natsu.

Everyone in the guild felt bad for Gray. "Rest in peace, Gray." They whispered solemnly.

.:**:. .:**:.

The snakes were there. One blood red, the other emerald green. The three brave and kind-hearted mages stood before the village of Sakura. They would protect the village, and slay the snakes, as they were supposed to.

But before they attacked the snakes, Lucy couldn't help but think of a certain pink haired dragon slayer. _'Why is everything in my head all about Natsu?'_

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: How do you think this one is? I apologize for the fact that most of this chapter is pretty serious. But I suppose this fanfic needs seriousness sometimes. Do you think the three wonderful mages would be able to get back to Fairy Tail alive? Hm… I wonder about that… So if you're interested, follow and wait to find out! And sorry that this one was posted a bit later because I was quite busy this week. ): I'll try to get this up faster next time! I really think 9 days between posts is way too much. So I'll be working hard!**

 **P.S. About my other NaLu fanfiction; Racing to the Future, I'm glad that some of you guys are reading it as well! The first two chapters are up and good to go. Thank you!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 1 week**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 5 days**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **FutureMageOtaku99 - I'm glad you enjoyed this. I'll try to work hard on this and post quicker!**

 **mizu aozora - Yep! Let the drama commence. (:**

 **Ayrmed - Thank you! I'm glad Lisanna seems supportive. I feel like 'evil' Lisanna is so OOC.**

 **Guest - You couldn't wait for the next chapter? Here it is!**

 **Guest - You said it! They are super dense.**

 **Flower Crown Of Poppy - I love the strawberry cake part too! And I'm glad the last chapter (chapter 5) was something you enjoyed reading. Thanks again for your constant reviews that always help me out!**

 **toomuchfannotenoughgirl - I never thought of this as adorable, but now that I think about it, it sure is!**


	7. I'm Sorry, Natsu

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 7 - I'm Sorry, Natsu_

 **Previously:** _The snakes were there. One blood red, the other emerald green. The three brave and kind-hearted mages stood before the village of Sakura. They would protect the village, and slay the snakes, as they were supposed to._

 _But before they attacked the snakes, Lucy couldn't help but think of a certain pink haired dragon slayer._ 'Why is everything in my head all about Natsu?'

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

"Levy! You take on the female, the green one! Lisanna! We'll fight the poisonous red male snake!" Lucy shouted. The snakes were now slithering straight at the three mages standing guard at the village's entrance. _'You're going down, monsters.'_ Lucy thought.

With her whip uncoiled, Lucy choose a key. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!" With a shimmering light, Leo appeared. "My beautiful princess-" Loke started to say, but Lucy cut him off. "Not now, Loke. Let's do this thing!"

"Animal Soul, Tiger!" Lisanna shouted, transforming into her tiger animal soul. Tail swishing, she stood next to Lucy, in a ready position. "You're going down!" she yelled, facing the poisonous red snake.

Levy moved to face the green female snake. "We got this. Luce, you know what Natsu would say?" Levy called, with a small smirk on her face. Lucy blushed, then stammered, "W-what does Natsu have to do with this? But still, he would say…"

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" shouted Lucy, Levy, and Lisanna, before engaging in combat with the monster snakes.

Lisanna scratched, kicked, and punched whenever she could. Since the scales of the red snake were tough, she did only manage to harm the snake in the weaker points, such as the area where the head connects with the body, and the underside of the snake. The animal soul mage aimed for the center of the snake's head, right between the eyes, but the snake would always move out of the way so that it wouldn't be attacked at it's weakest point.

.:**:. .:**:.

Levy, who was facing the green female snake had better luck fighting the snake.

"Solid Script, Light!" Levy shouted. A bright flash of light appeared, in the letters that Levy's magic would always appear as. This blinded the green snake. Now unable to see, the green snake thrashed around wildly. Levy jumped out of the way of the snake's tail.

She felt a few cuts on her legs due to the debris that the snake's tail tossed up. "Dang it." she muttered, glancing down at the blood rising to the surface of her skin. "Ow…"

"Solid Script, Rope!" At this call, ropes appeared and started threading around the wriggling green snake. It stilled quite a bit, allowing Levy to place a few strong blows in between the eyes of the snake. "Yes!" Levy cheered. The green snake seemed to be immobilized due to the blow. It certainly seemed to be a weaker opponent than the blood red snake Lucy and Lisanna were fighting. Levy wasn't done yet. Though the hit between the eyes of the snake weakened the female snake quite a bit, Levy's job was to destroy the snake.

"Solid Script, Blades!" Levy used her solid script magic to strike the not moving snake, hacking through the scales. Finally, at one point, Levy cut through the scales.

Green goop flew everywhere. "Eww…" Levy shrieked. Yet the snake wasn't dead. Now it came to life again, struggling fiercely against Levy's magical bonds. Running low on her magic source, Levy strategized where to place the final assault.

"Take that you stupid reptile!" More goop sailed in the air. It seemed to be the blood, or the equivalent of for the monster snakes.

"This. Is. Disgusting! Gajeel's going to murder me if I go back smelling like you. I really don't like this sticky stuff. But I suppose I'll feel more of it since I have to destroy you, you stubborn piece of scales!"

With a ferocious attack, Levy ended the green snakes life. She didn't notice the cuts she received on her arms and her legs, for she had exhausted up her magic supply, and collapsed to the floor in a heap.

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy, who had been fighting side by side with Loke and Lisanna, saw Levy fall after defeating the green snake. "Levy-chan!"

The red snake was still very well alive, and seemed very furious now that it's mate was dead. It started twisting about wildly, and knocked over a few trees. One tree raised up a cloud of dust as it landed mere inches away from Levy. "Loke! Go save Levy, and bring her into the village. I'll be fine without you for a bit." Lucy called. Loke nodded, quickly picking up Levy and rushing off through the village gates.

Lucy flicked her wrist, and her whip wrapped around the snake's mid section. "Lisanna, I'll try to keep it still! Get it's weak points!" Lucy yelled.

"Got it, Lucy!" Lisanna called back. She transformed into her Bird Animal Soul, using her claws to scratch at the red snake. Flying higher to get more speed, she folded her wings and plummeted. "Hyaaa-" Lisanna hit one of the snake's eye. Instead of green goop like the green snake, red goop came out. The red goop sizzled and burned anything it touched, for it was steaming hot. "Watch out for the goop. It burns!" Lisanna yelled, wincing as she felt first hand what the red goop felt like.

Gritting her teeth, Lucy tried to dodge the flying burning pieces as she kept her feet planted on the floor. The snake was moving with all it's might, so Lucy had to pull tightly, keeping her weight as close as she could to the floor. Pulling tightly, she tried to keep the snake still for Lisanna to land enough hits. A large chunk of the goop landed on her arm, scalding her skin. "It hurts." Lucy whimpered, and had to let go of her whip.

The snake started breaking free from Lucy's whip, and started struggling again ferociously.

Loke came back, panting. His arms were empty, so Lucy assumed that Levy was safe. "Loke!" Lucy called, relieved that he seemed okay. "Please help attack the snake. The weakest points are its underbelly and between the eyes." Nodding, Loke activated his Lion's Brilliance, and started hitting the snake everywhere.

More goop flew. This time, Lucy and Lisanna didn't get burned as much because they dodged most of it.

"Argh!" Loke had been burned terribly. Lucy felt pained, and let Loke back into the Spirit World despite his protests. "Force gate closure!" He disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles.

Lisanna landed down next to her, and whispered in her ear. "Hey, Lucy. I think I got a plan. Listen…"

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu was lounging on Lucy's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Everything was quiet, Happy had fallen asleep on Natsu's chest. He was bored. Though he had already fought Gray, it wasn't much fun without Lucy. Besides being bored, Natsu was worried. The mission Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy took seemed tough.

 _'I need to believe in her. Lucy will make it back all right. After all, she's the light of Fairy Tail. If the light dies, the darkness takes over. And I'll be very, very sad if she dies. But she won't die!'_

Abruptly sitting up, Happy tumbled into his lap. Natsu stood and pushed open Lucy's bedroom window. Then he shouted, "SHE'LL MAKE IT BACK ALL RIGHT! AFTER ALL, SHE'S PART OF FAIRY TAIL, AND FAIRY TAIL KICKS BUTT!"

 _Splat._

Someone from the street threw a tomato, hitting Natsu in the face. "SHUT UP!" The person shouted.

Slamming the windows shut, Natsu went to the bathroom to wash his face. "Who the heck keeps tomatoes with them that are soft enough to splatter all over someone?"

"Natsu, you look funny." came the voice of Happy. He flapped around Natsu's head, grinning wildly.

"Be quiet, you stupid neko!"

.:**:. .:**:.

Lucy nodded, listening to Lisanna's quick explanation of her plan. "Let's do this!" They yelled, pumping their fists up in the air.

Running straight for the snake, who seemed to be taken back at the sight of the two mages charging at him, Lucy wrapped her whip around the snake's neck. Swinging herself up, she looked as if she was riding and controlling the snake. In a way, she was. Yanking hard on her whip, it tightened around the snake's neck, stilling it for a moment. Just a moment was enough for Lisanna to strike.

With a loud yell, Lisanna clawed the snake, right between it's eyes. It twisted, rolling on the ground. Lucy had to jump off of the snake's back to avoid being crushed.

Where she landed was a horrible place to land.

Right in front of the snake's head.

The blood red snake, contorting and writhing in pain, started striking wherever it saw movement. And so, landing in front of the snake's head, Lucy caught the snake's eye.

The snake, seeing that something large and moving was right within his reach, reared with the last of it's strength, opening it's mouth wide.

"Lucy! Move!" shouted Lisanna, unable to do anything but watch as her friend gasp when she saw the snake looming overhead. Lisanna would have tried to get Lucy out of the way, but that last attack had drained her of her magic. When Lucy saw the snake - in it's terrifying glory, she tried to move. But found that she couldn't. As she saw the snake open it's mouth, so close that Lucy could see the snake's dark throat, she could only crouch there.

Then she saw the long fangs of the snake, glistening with poison. With the snake's last breath, it plunged it's poisonous fangs into Lucy's shoulder.

Seeing the snake die, Lucy knew she probably would loose her life too. She had been bitten. The antidote for the poison was very hard - if not impossible - to find. The poison was spreading, and Lucy could feel it.

As darkness closed in on Lucy, she saw a flash of the snake's blood red scales. That red reminded her of someone very, very close to her. Someone she loved. In the moments before she lost herself in the dark, she could only think of him. She probably wouldn't be able to see him ever again.

 _'I'm sorry, Natsu.'_

.:**:. .:**:.

A dark chill seemed to fall over the members in the guild. The sun that shined brightly throughout the day was covered by dark, ominous clouds.

The mages just assumed that it was going to rain soon, so they took umbrellas with them on the way home.

They didn't know that something had happened to the three girls miles away. And they wouldn't know for quite some time.

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: I'm really, really sorry! I just started school a month ago, and already had quite a few tests. And I also suck at writing fighting scenes. I tried making this one better to make up for it, but the fighting still seems bad. Hope this one is enjoyable, and have a wonderful week!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 3 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 1 week**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Ayrmed - You smelled trouble? Then always trust you're nose. It must be as good as Natsu's.**

 **toomuchfannotenoughgirl - I try to reply to everyone's comments! Reviews mean a lot to me! And I'm terribly sorry about how slow this was updated. I'll try to do it faster.**

 **Anonymous Person - You would never want to be stuck in a fight between them. Glad you think the title is appropriate!**

 **Guest - Did something happen to Lucy in this chapter? A lot happened… *** **evil smirk ***

 **Johnny Spectre - Don't mess with Mira if you value your… love life.**

 **Flower Crown of Poppy - Thank goodness the serious stuff and the happy stuff were well balanced. Hope you enjoyed this one. (:**

 **mizu aozora - Poor Gray. And poor Lucy.**


	8. Race Against Time

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 8 - Race Against Time_

 **Previously:** _A dark chill seemed to fall over the members in the guild. The sun that shined brightly throughout the day was covered by dark, ominous clouds._

 _The mages just assumed that it was going to rain soon, so they took umbrellas with them on the way home._

 _They didn't know that something had happened to the three girls miles away. And they wouldn't know for quite some time._

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

Four days passed since the three female mages went on the mission. Since then, the skies have been dark. Clouds grey and heavy, as if just waiting to drop the rain it had gathered.

Those who were not on missions stayed in the guild during the day, though the guild wasn't as loud as it always was. It seemed like the weather had just dampened the positive emotions lately.

Erza sat on a stool at the bar, a piece of strawberry cake in front of her. She was doing something very unusual, though. Gripping a fork tightly in her armored fist, she just sat there and poked her cake rather gloomily. Gray was sitting next to Erza, head on the bar table. His eyes were half closed, and he had been in that position for a few hours. Natsu paced the floor of the guild listlessly. He had been keeping this up since he got to the guild at eight in the morning. If the pacing continued, the guild would have a trench a foot deep in the floor.

Even Mirajane had stopped her matchmaking and keeping a light, happy smile on her face. Her brows were furrowed, evidently worried. Gray broke the silence of the guild. His deep voice muffled by the bar table, he asked, "When are they coming back?" That was the question many in the guild have been asking themselves yesterday and today. The three mages should have been back yesterday morning, last night at the latest.

Mira looked up from the dish she was drying. "They should have been back yesterday. I don't get it! The mission didn't seem _that_ hard. They even told me themselves that it should only take a day or two at the most." Mira's voice carried strong concern for her younger sister, as well as the blonde celestial mage and the blue haired script mage.

Natsu abruptly stopped pacing. He was standing in between the seated Gray and Erza. "That's it!" he shouted, slamming his hands into the bar. Mira grimaced, eyeing the new dents in the wood of the bar, complements of Natsu's fists. _'Poor bar table.'_ "I'm going out right now to look for Lucy." He turned to storm out the doors, but Erza stood up. She grabbed Natsu's scarf, pulling him close to her.

"Wait," she said quietly, "give them one more hour. If they're not back by then… we'll go." Gray lifted his head from his spot and nodded.

"One hour." Natsu muttered, before yanking himself out of Erza's grasp and started pacing again.

 _'Poor floor,'_ Mira thought. This would be one long hour.

.:**:. .:**:.

"Almost - there," Levy said in a breathless whisper. She and Lisanna had been walking (more like limping) since they got off the train at the Magnolia station. A soft whimper made her look down at the unconscious form of Lucy. Her poisoned and dying body carried by Lisanna and herself.

 _'We won't let you die, Lucy. Not while you have so much to live for. If you did leave us, you'd break so many hearts,'_ Lisanna thought, sadness and pain for Lucy gracing her features.

.:**:. .:**:.

Those excruciatingly long sixty minutes allowed Natsu to pace some more. It allowed Gray to keep his head on the bar table some more. Erza had time to poke at her cake even more. And finally, time was up.

Natsu jumped up and pulled Gray out of his seat. A small smirk graced his face as he watched Gray tumble to the floor at Natsu's jerk. "We're going. Now," he said darkly. Erza, who had never seen Natsu's face like this except for when their enemies tried to harm them, shuddered. She hoped they would find Lucy and the others soon - before Natsu blew up.

As they opened the door, a gust of stormy wind swept leaves inside the guild. But they didn't care about that. They didn't mind the wind and leaves let inside. They didn't care about the glares of those inside the guild. For they were only caring about one thing. The one thing they were just setting out to find. _Lucy._

For a few moments, they were frozen. In shock, and in fear for their beloved blonde friend.

Natsu couldn't believe it. Lucy never looked so pale. Lucy never looked so lifeless. Never looked so close to death. And her shoulder… her whole arm… Black veins snaked from her shoulder down to her fingertips. Natsu assumed the same black veins were across her chest and abdomen. He could see that they were still spreading. With every beat of her heart… they were spreading. This was a living nightmare.

Gajeel, who had smelled Levy's scent the moment the doors had opened, pushed past Natsu, Erza, and Gray. He looked worriedly at Lucy, though not much of the concern showed on his face. Then his gaze turned to Levy. "Ouch," he muttered, "You look like you fell off a building into a pit filled with lava." Looking back at the three mages still staring at Lucy, he started barking. "What on earth are you waiting for?! Is Lucy gonna heal herself? Move your legs and get over there!"

Natsu was jolted by Gajeel's sharp voice. He rushed over to Lucy, and gave a small but grateful smile to Lisanna and Levy. Then he picked Lucy up, one arm around her back and shoulders, the other under her knees.

Turning and moving quickly into the guild, he looked at everyone who were very quiet, faces pale.

Master's voice broke the stunned and tense silence. "Jet! Get Porlyusica, quickly! Wendy, come over and see if you can help them Lucy." Directing his gaze on Natsu, Master said, "Bring Lucy to the infirmary."

Natsu moved quickly and as smoothly as he could. He winced each time he heard Lucy whimper in pain; the poison was a strong and deadly one. After placing Lucy down on a cot in the infirmary, he knelt besides the cot and took her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. There he kneeled for some time.

.:**:. .:**:.

After a while, he heard the door open, and Porlyusica as well as Levy walked in. Levy held up a hand to silence Natsu, who was just about to start talking. She looked straight at Natsu, getting right to the point. "There's one way to cure Lucy. It requires two of some of the rarest herbs on earth. The first one grows in extreme heat - in a volcano. The second grows on the top of an icy mountain, as it needs the cold to survive. You're going after the one in the volcano. After you get it - make sure you get the roots too - keep the plant hot by heating it with your fire. It will be tiring, but you can do it. I already told Gray that he needs to go up the mountain and keep the herb cold with his ice magic."

Natsu took this all in quietly. Sitting there for a few moments, he looked up. Then winced as he saw a frown on Porlyusica's face. "Get out! I don't need you buzzing around the girl when I could be saving her. Don't you have a very important herb to find?!" she exclaimed, shoving Natsu out the infirmary door none too gently.

As the door slammed shut behind him, he could hear the giggle of Levy. _'It's not fair how_ she _gets to stay inside and watch Lucy.'_

Then he started off in a spring. "Let's go, Happy!" he shouted as he ran out of the guild. The sudden change in attitude left a very puzzled guild behind. Natsu's lips pulled into a grim line. They had something to do. Something to get. And Lucy's life depended on it. He _wouldn't_ let her down, not if he had something to say about it. _'I'm bringing the herb back on time. I promise I will. Will you keep on fighting for me? For life?'_ he thought as his feet pounded on the cobblestones of the town street.

.:**:. .:**:.

The guild became even more puzzled as Gray and Erza sprinted out the door. The master chuckled, though it was far from one of true joy or happiness. "They're going on a journey. It's a race against time."

People started whispering to each other. A long journey? Erza without her legendary cart of suitcases? And what was with the race against time? Did it have something to do with Lucy and the poison? Master ignored the questions as his eyes closed, breathing in deeply. _'Mavis be with you, and be quick. You're going to need the speed, after all, it's a race against time.'_

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Hm… this wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. Hopefully the next one will be longer with lots of heat and icy cold. (: They're climbing up a mountain and going to the center of a volcano; something only our favorite ice mage and pink haired dragon slayer can do. How was this one? Do you think Natsu and Gray can get the herbs on time? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **** NOTICE: There is a poll on my page in regards to my next fanfic. I need help to decide who to pair Lucy with. Please read the question carefully!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 3 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 1 week**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Johnny Spectre - Poor, poor Natsu.**

 **Lady Anime Cat - Now let's see if Lucy will fight the poison, and wait for Natsu and Gray to return with the herbs.**

 **Ksqu4rd - Yes, what's gonna happen? Dun dun dun… (pardon me for being dramatic XD)**

 **Flower Crown Of Poppy - Thank goodness the fight scene was fine! I just want to add in enough humor so that it's not all sad. I don't like writing depressing things, they make me want to cry. :'(**

 **Amv20 - Will Lucy die? You'll see soon!**

 **Guest - You can say Natsu jinxed it… Or it was just some annoying author called dolphintale204 who decided to ruin it.**


	9. Come back soon!

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 9 - Come back soon!_

 **Previously:** _People started whispering to each other. A long journey? Erza without her legendary cart of suitcases? And what was with the race against time? Did it have something to do with Lucy and the poison? Master ignored the questions as his eyes closed, breathing in deeply._ 'Mavis be with you, and be quick. You're going to need the speed, after all, it's a race against time.'

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu had spent the last day moving non-stop. He had traveled about half of the way to the volcano where the herb was. Happy had flew him for a while, then he had to run. The other option was to ride a horse, and no way would he do that. Horses were a form of transportation. Transportation was _not_ good for him. Then once Happy regained his magic, they flew again. Happy then ran out of magic, and fell asleep in Natsu's pack.

It was afternoon, and Natsu could feel the lack of sleep getting to him. Sometimes he couldn't see really clearly, and he sometimes saw double images. The longer he ran on the forest path, the more tired he got. He felt like he shouldn't be seeing double images only after one day and a half of running, but he was. Maybe it was because he was pushing himself very hard. Almost too hard. After all, his reason for running is very important; Lucy's life depended on him.

Right now, he was debating weather or not he should sleep, or wait for later. _'I need to sleep now to get more energy. But if I sleep, it's going to take a longer for me to get to the volcano.'_ He was still weighing the two options, when…

 _BAM!_

He ran into a tree. Natsu managed to think, _'Who put a tree right here?'_ Then everything around him started swirling into blurs of green, brown, and sky blue, as Natsu fell to the floor - unconscious.

.:**:. .:**:.

Gray was clutching whatever stable thing he could get his hands on. His knuckles were white, and his face an ashen color. The glare of the afternoon sun was not helping either. Erza was driving a magic powered vehicle, and she was driving like a demon. These were one of the times when you wondered why Erza was called the Queen of Fairies, or Titania. Having acquired the vehicle this morning, Gray was feeling nauseous as his stomach churned. He regretted drinking that last cold smoothie for lunch.

Since the afternoon in which they left, Erza and Gray had kept a fast jog. Then at night, when they reached a small village, they slept for six hours before getting the vehicle early this morning.

 _'I'm glad Natsu went to the volcano with Happy. Otherwise, he'd be half dead and throwing up all over the car and Erza,'_ Gray thought. But thanks to Erza's speed, they would reach the mountain by tonight. Then they would climb up the next day, hopefully reach the top quickly to get the plant, and climb back down. Whoever had the most magic left would drive them all the way back to Magnolia.

Gray and Erza just hoped that this plan wouldn't make them too late to save Lucy.

.:**:. .:**:.

"-tsu? Natsu!"

Blinking groggily, Natsu cracked open one eye to see a blue furry face peering down at him anxiously. Focusing his gaze on the background, he saw trees. Many, many trees. And he saw the sun… or what was left of it.

Sitting up abruptly, narrowly missing clonking heads with Happy, he looked around. "What time is it?" he asked, pointing at the setting sun.

"Um… six? Maybe?" Happy replied. Then his eyes widened, realizing what exactly it meant by six. "You fell asleep!" he shrieked, opening his wings as he spoke. "No, no, no, that's not good!" Happy muttered to himself.

Natsu realized that he indeed had fallen asleep (or was knocked out) for five hours. This _really_ was not good, as Happy said. They had to catch up to arrive at the volcano according to their plan. The plan was to get to the volcano at midnight or so tonight. At this rate, they might not make it. There was a village that they wanted to stop by to eat food, but unless if they hurried, they wouldn't be able to eat for a while. And Natsu couldn't go without food for a long time.

Natsu jumped up and pumped his legs, running quickly. His determination renewed, and feeling a lot more energized with those few hours of rest. "Happy, let's go!" he shouted, and his blue exceed pulled Natsu into the air, towards the small village at the base of the darkening silhouette of the volcano. The herb to cure Lucy's poisoned and dying body would be found at the center, and the hottest part of the volcano.

.:**:. .:**:.

Back at the guild, the day since Natsu, Gray, and Erza left were full of tension, alert, and worry. Some members had left on short missions to try and stop thinking about the celestial mage lying on a bed in the infirmary. Others got to the guild early in the morning, and left late at night. They were waiting for the three mages who had left on their journeys to the herbs. Two people; however, never really left her side.

Levy and Lisanna always hovered near Lucy's infirmary bed, looking down at her in worry. They constantly tried to make her more comfortable. Each time Lucy whimpered or twitched in her unconscious state of pain, they winced. Levy's face was pretty much in a permanent scowl, but Gajeel - who was outside the infirmary door - could smell her tears just waiting to spill. Lisanna was close to crying as well.

Mira walked through the door quietly, holding a tray of food in her hands. She had two bowls of warm soup, and two plates of warm grilled cheese sandwiches. The food was for Levy and Lisanna. Placing the food on a table near Lucy, Mira looked at her sister and Levy in concern. They had barely slept the night before, and hadn't eaten a lot. "You need to eat more, Levy, Lisanna. You haven't eaten since this morning, and you only had a bit of milk, which isn't enough! You need to stay healthy too. We don't need more sick people to worry about, okay? Lucy wouldn't want you to be like this," Mira said gently.

Finally Mira managed to coax Levy and Lisanna to sit down and eat the food she had prepared for them. As she left the infirmary, giving a small nod to Gajeel, she wished with all her heart that Natsu and Gray would get back to the guild quickly.

Outside, in a hallway, she wiped away a tear that had leaked out. Lucy, with black veins now all over both arms and on her shoulders looked so weak, and helpless. Mira wanted Lucy to get well. She didn't think she could bear having one of her close friends die. The whole guild wouldn't be able to stand it.

Moving to her spot at the bar, she thought, _'Hurry up, Natsu, Gray. We can't let Lucy die. Come back, come back soon!'_

.:**:. .:**:.

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Hm… this one was a bit short. I think though, I might have to sacrifice word count in order to update as quickly as this. After all, I have many followers who I can't disappoint! So right now, Lucy is getting closer to passing away, and Natsu fell asleep. I really thought that Gray might be the unreliable one! (Not XD) How was this? What do you think will happen next? Will Lucy die? Will Natsu and Gray make it on time? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **** NOTICE: There is a poll on my page in regards to my next fanfic. I need help to decide who to pair Lucy with. Please read the question carefully! I only have ONE VOTER so far, thanks so much whoever voted, but I'd love more votes!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 3 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 1 week**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Flower Crown of Poppy - I hope you didn't have to wait too long, though this may rather be a bit of a disappointment. ): I'm really sorry!**

 **Secret Companion - Yes! I hope they will be able to save Lucy too! And they are super dense… though Natsu may have been the first to realize that he loves Lucy. Jeez, Lucy's the denser one.**

 **noodlesoframen - I wouldn't grow mushrooms, I'd grow broccoli. (Lol, no, jk) I'd just scream at Natsu for being an idiot for being an idiot 'like usual'. But did you see the latest chapter? He thinks ahead! NATSU ACTUALLY THOUGHT AHEAD! HE'S GROWING UP!**


	10. Never Beat Fate

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 10 - Never Beat Fate_

 **Previously:** _Outside, in a hallway, she wiped away a tear that had leaked out. Lucy, with black veins now all over both arms and on her shoulders looked so weak, and helpless. Mira wanted Lucy to get well. She didn't think she could bear having one of her close friends die. The whole guild wouldn't be able to stand it._

 _Moving to her spot at the bar, she thought_ , 'Hurry up, Natsu, Gray. We can't let Lucy die. Come back, come back soon!'

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

Those in the guild were all quiet, the air still thick with tension. Everyone was worried for Lucy. It's been five days since Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza left the guild to look for Lucy's cure. Porlyusica had visited twice, each time leaving the infirmary with a grim look on her face. (Not that it was any different from her normal facial expression.) But she had seemed different, not as harsh. And this had caused everyone to be even more worried. Master locked himself in the office, barely coming downstairs.

Almost all of Lucy's body was covered in the black veins. They twisted up her arms, down her legs. Some were starting to creep up her neck. Porlyusica had said that by the time they reach the top of her head, and form a black mass over her heart, it would be too late. Lucy only had one more day left. And in that day, the four who left needed to return to the guild with two vital herbs to save her life.

.:**:. .:**:.

Erza was driving the magic powered vehicle, feeding it with her magic through the SE plug. It wasn't easy, travelling for a whole day using up magic, but Erza knew speed was important. She and Gray were quick as they traveled to the mountain, only stopping for food, the toilet, and six hours of sleep on the day and a half it took to get there.

Thankfully the climb up the mountain was safe and quick - though it was cold. During the climb, she had regained most of the magic she spent on the way to the mountain, and was prepared to drive all the way back to Magnolia. Gray couldn't do it, he was occupied. He had a much, much more important job to do. While Gray kept the 'cargo' alive and healthy, Erza was transporting the 'cargo' and the 'guardian' to the guild safely and quickly.

Gray was strapped in his seat. This time, he was trying his best to ignore the bumpy ride of the magic vehicle. Gritting his teeth, he was glad for the tight harnesses Erza had insisted he put on before driving down the mountain. Erza's wild driving was no better than the ride to and up the mountain, but he had something much more important to focus on.

The herb.

This herb, which came from the top of the mountain, would only survive in a climate similar to the mountain. This meant that Gray had to spend his time creating a sphere of ice and frost around the herb to ensure its survival. He had discovered this when he and Erza uprooted the herb. As they started heading down the mountain, at about halfway, the plant started wilting. That had gotten the both of them in a panic, until Gray figured out how to create and maintain the ice sphere.

So they were fine. Though they were travelling at breakneck speed and were liable to crash, they themselves, and the precious herb, were fine. Now, both of them were relying on Natsu.

As Erza gripped the wheel tightly, urging the SE plug to consume more of her magic, her lips pulled into a straight line. Her face grew grim, eyebrows furrowing. _'Natsu, we have kept our promise. We're making it back to the guild soon. What about you? If you mess up, everything will crash and burn, and we will loose someone we'd give up our lives to protect.'_ Erza looked at the sun in the sky. From what she knew, there was only sixteen hours left. She also hoped that they could make it back on time.

.:**:. .:**:.

Happy flew above Natsu, watching as Natsu ran towards the small town. A large iron pot glowing red because of heat was in Natsu's arms. They were in more of a rush than ever. Thanks to some difficulties figuring out how to keep the plant in the heat without burning it, Happy and Natsu were behind. With only fourteen more hours until Lucy was supposed to di-

No, Natsu decided not to think about it.

Anyways, they had spent a day running up and back down the volcano. The first trip up, after finding the herb and bringing it down the mountain, the herb died. It shriveled up, turned to ash, and floated away on a warm breeze. Natsu had figured out what was going on, but he and Happy had to run back down the hill, and run back up with the large iron pot he had bought from the village.

Natsu knew that they needed to make it back to Magnolia in record time if they wanted to save Lucy. He was sure that Erza and Gray were on time. Frowning, he vowed that he would get to the guild before fourteen hours were up. After all, he couldn't let Ice Prick beat him, could he?

Natsu definitely wouldn't leave Lucy hanging, not when she was waiting for him.

.:**:. .:**:.

A couple more hours have passed. Mira wiped a wet cloth across Lucy's forehead. Mira was worried, there had been no sign of the others so far. But she knew that they were coming. Team Natsu would never give up on saving Lucy, she knew that they would arrive very soon. Porlyusica would be coming in an hour in preparation for the antidote making to begin.

Gently lifting up Lucy's shirt, Mira saw that the black veins were slowly knotting together and gathering right above Lucy's heart. Remembering Porlyusica's warning, Mira knew that when her heart was covered in a black mass of poison, it would be too late.

Levy and Lissanna, who had just walked in the room after a short snack break, gasped in shock and horror when they saw the black veins all over Lucy. There was very little time left for the Celestial mage.

Levy held back tears, biting her lip. She thought, _'Who knew just a bit of snake venom would cause all of this.'_

.:**:. .:**:.

Beads of sweat ran down the sides of Erza's face. Her magic supply was almost drained, the result of driving non-stop for 18 hours while covering the distance of 2 days. But they were almost there. Erza could see the train station approaching quickly, and she fed more magic to the SE plug. Glancing back for just a few seconds, she could see that Gray was exhausted too.

"Keep it up, Gray," Erza said through gritted teeth. All she heard was a short grunt in reply.

Gray had kept the frost sphere longer than Erza had been driving. 24 hours to be exact. It took six hours to get down the mountain - downhill was a lot faster than uphill. Where they had been on an icy mountains a day ago, they were now quickly approaching Magnolia, and Fairy Tail. By now, he was probably just as tired as Erza. He knew though, that he had to keep the plant cool until it reached Porlyusica so that she could make the antidote for the poison.

Keeping his eyes trained on the train station that was getting closer, he drew more magic from his reserves to keep the cold sphere from melting. Gray wanted to get to the guild faster, and hoped that his magic wouldn't run out before then. If it did, even if Natsu brought the volcanic herb to the guild, there would be no chance of saving Lucy.

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu was growing worried. Not only was he running out of time with only four hours to the deadline - Natsu mentally smacked himself for that _horrible_ pun, Lucy's death was nothing to joke about - the iron pot he had gotten from the village was melting.

Yeah, you heard him right. The pot was _melting._

Natsu, at this point, was in disbelief. That iron pot was made in really hot temperatures. And this little herb from a volcano needed more heat than the pot needed?

Psh, _impossible._

Yet it was happening, right before his very eyes. Oh, he also failed to mention the fact that keeping the herb alive in the right temperatures was a big pain in the butt. It was eating away at his magic. And Natsu realized something REALLY big. Keeping the plant hot was even more annoying than Frost Queen. That's saying something.

The iron pot had turned red about an hour ago. It had been a miracle that it had still stayed semi-solid until now. Now it was basically a gooey, red-hot mess. Natsu hoped that the pot would hold for just a little more until he arrived at the next village to get another pot. Hopefully, that one would be better than this one was at standing heat.

Happy had to feed Natsu fire about thirteen times in the past eighteen hours. Natsu and Happy did need to travel the distance they went in about three days. They alternated 'modes' of transportation. First Natsu ran, with Happy perched on his shoulder. Then Happy flew Natsu - which is _not_ a mode of transportation, despite what his guild members may think. That had lasted for about an hour. They had to go quicker, so Natsu 'borrowed' a horse from a village's stables. Hey, he did at least leave behind a note to the farmer. It said something like this:

 _'Sorry about the horse. In a rush. Write to Fairy Tail's Makarov for jewels to annoy him.'_

And when the pot had started melting, Natsu had stopped riding in fear of burning the horse. Natsu had to revert to running again, all the while keeping the pot warm.

Deep down inside though, no matter how quickly his feet pounded on the floor, Natsu knew something that he refused to think about. Deep down, he knew that even if they did not stop at villages for new pots and did not take a few second breaks to consume fire, _it would still be too late._

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu stumbled, then righted himself, and continued running. He held onto that little bit of hope that he would make it in time, with one hour and a half left to go.

He had almost tripped in that past half hour, but persisted in running. Having passed the forest close to Haregon, he knew that he could get a new pot at Haregon. Tripping again, he shook his head before running on with the melting pot with the herb in his arms.

Exhausted, hungry, sleepy, Natsu pushed himself harder to make sure he reached Fairy Tail on time.

Natsu stumbled again. Happy quickly jumped off Natsu's shoulder. Happy would have flown Natsu, but he was dead tired and out of magic. Natsu teetered, and fell down, sprawling in the dust. The molten iron flew out of his hands, and Natsu gasped and quickly picked himself off the floor. Rushing to the pot, he quickly heated it again, so that the plant wouldn't turn to ash like the way one of its kind had done before.

Shoulders heaving with a sigh of relief, his ears picked up signs of civilization. The port city, where he had first met Lucy, was nearby. He just needed to run for a bit more, and he'd be at Haregon.

Please, please let him make it!

As the city grew from a speck on the horizon to a place with buildings, he could smell the fishy scent of the ocean on the air. In his excitement, he ran faster, eyes trained on the city he was quickly approaching.

In his haste, Natsu wasn't watching where he was going. He tripped again, and his fatigue really caused him to fly. Skidding on the rough ground, rocks cutting him just a bit, the melted pot and the precious herb flew out of his arms. Natsu slowly picked himself up, groaning in the process.

Searching for the iron pot, he saw the glint of the pot in the sun.

Wait, a glint? Red-hot pots don't shine. Unless...

Unless if they cool down.

A surge of panic rushed through him, and he ran towards the shining iron pot. This couldn't be happening!

Flipping the pot over, cold rocks spilled out. They used to be congealed lava, semi-solid, but now they were rock hard, having lost the temperature of the volcano.

And the herb?

Gently yet urgently, Natsu sifted through the lava rocks, with Happy watching nervously at his side. After picking up and looking at every rock, he couldn't believe it.

The herb was gone?!

"Happy, herbs don't disappear like that, do they?" Natsu asked, panic laced in his voice.

Happy looked at Natsu, eyes wide. He had never really seen his friend this distraught before, besides the times when Natsu heard news of Igneel. "N-natsu... Herbs don't disappear, but I think this very important one did," he finally managed to say.

A soft wind blew, ruffling Natsu's pink hair.

From the iron pot, and from the rocks, Natsu's sharp eyes caught ash rising from them and floating in the air. Ash... ash shouldn't be in the pot. Just like how very important herbs shouldn't disappear.

Finally, though all too late, Natsu realized what had happened.

"Nooo!"

Happy joined in on Natsu's cry, sobbing in Natsu's vest. "Nooo!"

The ash that was floating away was the herb that had 'disappeared'. Because of lack of heat, the herb had become ash.

The pair had run out of time, out of luck.

They had failed to complete their task, and as a result, Lucy might... not make it.

.:**:. .:**:.

Gray blinked hard, trying to keep his vision clear. The strain on his magic was taking its toll on himself, some things were getting blurry. And at the way the magic vehicle was slowing down, he could tell that Erza was barely holding it together.

Erza drew all the magic that she could, still feeding it to the SE plug. She could also tell that Gray was not doing well, with the way he sometimes seemed out of it. Maybe everything he was seeing was blurring just like hers. They still needed to push, to go a bit more. If they didn't... Lucy's life would be over. With that little reminder, Erza seemed to suddenly gain more magic, if only a little. She'd fight to the very end to protect Lucy, to keep her alive. And this was one of the times she wouldn't stop.

 _'Keep... On... Going'_

Gray too thought of Lucy, the girl he thought of as his sister. He formed more ice, though he could tell that the temperature of his sphere was dropping. No...

 _'For... Lucy...'_

No matter how much they wanted to save Lucy, they couldn't keep this up any more.

The magic vehicle kept on slowing down.

The temperature of the ice sphere was dropping.

The magic vehicle rolled to a stop.

The ice sphere fell away, pieces of ice melting in the hands of a distraught and weak Gray.

Erza could do nothing except turn her head to look at Gray.

His face told her everything.

"No... please... This can't be happening!" Erza's loud cry shook the heavens, as tears streamed down her face, a few falling to the floor.

Silent tears leaked out of Gray's eyes. After so much pain, so much worry, everything was futile.

As Gray stepped out of the magic vehicle to embrace Erza, both of them crying, he left behind something on the seat of the vehicle.

The seat was wet, scattered bits of ice were melting. And in the middle of the seat was the herb - or what was left of it.

Grey. Wrinkled. Dried up. Dead. Though the two mages had tried their best, even some things were un-accomplishable by them.

The two would have been willing to fail _anything_ else besides this; however, no matter how powerful the two mages were, _you could never beat fate._

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: *Sniffle* Too depressing? I think so too. This is the end for Lucy... And Natsu's love. Isn't it? *cough* It's not *cough* At least this isn't the last chapter, eh? It would make me a bully if I left it like this. Again, sorry about the long update, but at least this one is longer (: . I was gone for 5 days from the 26th-30th, and was kinda stumped about how things were going to develop. I had everything written out, but it wasn't all that good, and then BAM! I got this sad idea. I blame everything on creativity (but if I didn't have creativity, I wouldn't have this).**

 **** NOTICE: There is a poll on my page in regards to my next fanfic. Thanks to the nine people who have voted so far, but I'd love more votes to hear your idea about it!**

 **3 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 3 weeks**

 **7 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks and 3 days**

 **10 (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up in 2 weeks**

 **15 + (Reviews, Follows, or Favs) = Next chapter up within 1 week**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Flower Crown Of Poppy - Thanks for catching that mistake, but I think I won't change it... XD Lazy and tired from writing this one. Not sure if you'll look forwards to reading this one or the next one. Depressing and sad ):**

 **\- You're not being a jerk, don't worry about that! I didn't realize that before, or never really paid attention to it. But I hope that this chapter you'll see that I did have Natsu steal and ride a horse, and didn't get sick! Thank you for that.**

 **Guest - Thank you, I appreciate it! Though it's far from perfect, I'm glad a lot of people like it.**

 **noodlesoframen - YES NATSU GREW UP! Maybe he'll realize his feelings for Lucy in the anime/manga. (Hiro Mashima, make that happen!) Thank you for your compliments, and I hope this chapter hasn't let you down.**


	11. Miraculous Ending

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 11 - Miraculous Ending_

 **Previously:** _The seat was wet, scattered bits of ice were melting. And in the middle of the seat was the herb - or what was left of it._

 _Grey. Wrinkled. Dried up. Dead. Though the two mages had tried their best, even some things were un-accomplishable by them._

 _The two would have been willing to fail_ anything _else besides this; however, no matter how powerful the two mages were,_ you could never beat fate _._

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: I want to say a big THANK YOU to every single person who has helped me along the way. I think this story has been so much fun to write with everyone giving feedback and encouraging. 11th chapter! I probably would have quit some time ago if I hadn't received the kind and uplifting messages from people who have taken time to read this story. Again, THANKS to everyone who have supported me. I feel really sad that this is going to end pretty soon, but the story will still be up forever and ever for people to enjoy. I would give all of you a big hug right now, if you were with me for your support! 3, dolphintale204**

.:**:. .:**:.

Somehow, the mages in the guild knew something bad had happened. Maybe it was because of the way the skies darkened again. Or maybe it was just because of their deep connection to each of their guild members - their family.

Inside the infirmary, the guild members were gathered around Lucy, somehow all fitting into that area. The four mages who had left hadn't returned yet. Porlyusica had everything prepared, just in case, but with five minutes left, only a few were still grasping onto those small strands of hope. The guild was quiet, all deep in their thoughts as they remembered all the times they had spent with their kind-hearted Celestial mage. Tears were being shed, members supporting each other, when a soft and scratch voice stilled all of them.

"G-guys," It was Lucy. "It will be a-all right. I'll see y-you in the future..."

Coughs racked her weak body. It was a miracle that she had been able to become conscious within the last minutes of her life. Her eyes closed gently, but she continued to speak. Her voice seemed to grow stronger, but facade was shattered when you looked at her body covered with black veins.

"Master, thank you for accepting me into the guild. This was my true family, and I wish I came sooner."

The old man addressed was crying rivers and seas of tears.

"Laxus, Evergreen, Bixlow, and Freed. I don't want you to even think about what happened long ago. You are all special, strong, and I know you'll be able to stand through anything."

The blond continued to mention people in the guild. Lisanna, Elfman, Mira. Juvia. Wendy. Gajeel. Levy.

Three minutes left.

"Levy, I want you to finish my novel. I'm sure you will write an amazing ending. When you find me, read it to me, okay? And don't be afraid to chase Gajeel."

Levy sobbed, burying her face into the stunned Gajeel. He was slightly blushing, yet very sorrowful at the blonde's words. "O-okay." Levy said, hiccupping.

"Erza. You were the big sister I never had. Now you won't need to worry about protecting my dignity anymore,"

At that, some members managed to crack a small smile. But each of them were wishing the redhead was there to hear, to hear her 'sister's' final words.

"I want you to find happiness in your life with Jellal," Lucy said, unaware that Erza was not there with her.

Lucy took a rattling breath, shallow. Two minutes left.

"Gray, you were my brother. You were always there, ready to protect me. Don't hide your feelings, Juvia wouldn't want that." With each sentence Lucy said, her voice started to fade. It seemed like it took more effort to talk.

One minute.

"A-and, Natsu. I love you so much, ever since... a long time ago. Continue to live a good life, explore with Happy, and someday you'll find Igneel. Give my keys to Yukino, will you? I'll be waiting for you on the other side."

Ten.

The guild knew her time was near, everyone quieted.

Nine.

When all those parting words had been spoken, all guild members, including the ones who typically showed no feelings, were crying.

Eight.

They wouldn't have their light back on this Earthland ever again.

Seven.

There was a golden pop in the back of the room, the guild knew that Lucy's Celestial Spirits were there, watching and wishing their master a silent farewell.

Six.

With few seconds left, the guild bowed their heads as Lucy took another shallow and rattling breath.

Five.

In those last moments, everyone was wishing for a miracle to happen.

Four.

They wanted Lucy to miraculously be cured.

Three.

"We love you, Lucy," came the soft whispers of the guild.

Two.

A deeper breath was taken, and a look of serenity and peace washed over Lucy's features.

What was to be Lucy's last moment was not the peaceful, quiet one everyone wished for. Instead-

 _CRASH!_

 _SHATTER!_

 _SMASH!_

 _BANG!_

Four windows of the infirmary cracked and broke. Glass rained down on the people gathered in the guild. They hugged each other, protecting each other. As the last bits of glass hit the floor and the noises ceased, the guild - in almost perfect unison - looked at the four windows.

Nothing was there, except for a large tree that had appeared out of nowhere, right in front of the infirmary. Then Levy gasped, and the guild turned to Lucy's cot. Four figures, four _very_ familiar figures were standing there. Well, three were standing. One was hovering.

And as they stepped back, one with dark blue hair, red hair, and pink hair, everyone recognized exactly who they were. They were the four who were supposed to have come back more than a few seconds ago. They were late.

They were late, and their beloved mage was gone.

.:**:. .:**:.

Then a cough came from the supposed-to-be-dead body lying on the bed.

Natsu turned to look, a wide grin etched on his face. He was so happy, so relieved, that if he smiled anymore, his face would split in two. After all, his loved one didn't pass away like everyone thought she would. Erza was nearly besides herself with joy. Though she didn't exactly show it that way. Grabbing Gray by his shirt - it surprisingly hadn't come off in the few second they were in the guild - Erza gave him a very hard noogie. Iron fisted noogies were not pleasant, but Gray had experienced so many that it seemed normal by now. Gray himself was grinning. Not as widely as Natsu, but he was smiling widely all the same. His 'sister' was back!

A relieved cry came from Levy, as she sunk to her knees.

"Hey everyone!" Natsu said, waving. "Why are you all looking like you saw a ghost?"

Happy snickered, before flying down to Lucy. The black veins were gone, her skin color was returning to a normal, healthy glow.

Then people were being pushed and shoved out of the infirmary - including the four who had broken the infirmary windows. "Out! Out!" shouted Porlyusica. The medic was at work, and everyone besides Wendy had to leave the patient in the doctor's hands.

.:**:. .:**:.

Downstairs, once everyone had recovered from the shock of seeing Lucy back alive again, they demanded that Natsu explain everything. They were also overjoyed, but didn't even have to think about waiting to celebrate until later. Right now, they all had one big question, _'How had Natsu preformed that miracle?'_

"Quiet down, brats!" the Master shouted, "Let Natsu explain what happened with _NO_ interruptions."

"Thanks, gramps!" Natsu started the story, after quickly saying that he'll tell what happened to Gray and Erza as well.

"So we went to the places where the herbs were. I ran for so long without food or rest, I ran into a tree and fainted."

 _Gihi_. A snicker and familiar laugh was heard. It was soon silenced by Levy punching Gajeel.

"Be quiet, steel nut! Anyways, I fainted, and lost time. Gray and Erza managed their time well, got the herb, and borrowed an SE car for the way back. I bought a pot to put the herb in, it needs to be kept in the right temperature. Then the pot, it was horribly made, started melting. I eventually lost the herb, and with not enough time to return to the volcano and get another one, I started howling. Really loudly. At the same time, Gray and Erza had ran out of magic to drive the magic vehicle and keep the herb at the right temperature. So they too lost the herb.

I was close to Haregon, right by the forest. Then out of nowhere, that really powerful tree dude grew out of a tree. It scared Happy and I so badly, that guy is _super_ quiet and freaky!"

Another snicker was heard, this time from Gray. "Scaredy cat," he muttered, loud enough for Natsu to hear. Before Natsu could retaliate and before it could break out in a screaming match, a large fist slammed down on Gray, knocking him into the wooden bar. Now there was a Gray sized dent in it, along with Natsu's fist dents. _'Poor bar table - again,'_ Mira thought.

With a clearing of his throat, Natsu continued. "The tree guy, who was also one of the ten wizard saints asked me what was wrong. I told him everything, and he said he had the antidote at his house. Then he disappeared back into the tree, and reappeared about half an hour later. At that time, Lucy probably only had ten more minutes left. The old tree man made some jokes. I think they were jokes. Or maybe not. HE WAS CONFUSING!

He gave me the antidote, and sent me on one of those tree things that move super fast. It was a lot better than riding a train-," here Natsu's face turned green and the guild _'ewwed'_ at it.

"I didn't get sick. I saw Erza and Gray, who were crying just like I did, and they got on too. Then we crashed into the infirmary, gave Lucy the antidote injection, and we're perfectly fine! Lucy will be too."

As if those were the magic words, Natsu sensed Lucy at the top of the stairs. "Luce!" he shouted, running to her. Picking her up at the top of the stairs, he twirled her around before placing her back down. Hugging her tightly, he said quietly, "I thought I was never going to see you again."

Lucy gently patted his head, taking the chance to run her fingers through his hair. "I'm fine now, all thanks to you, my dragon hero," Lucy said with a smile.

The guild _'awwed'_ at that.

.:**:. .:**:.

Of course, with Fairy Tail and the return of Lucy back in full health, a party was soon underway.

Lucy laughed and smiled like she hadn't done in such a long time. Most of the night you could find Natsu near her, hovering protectively.

As the party drew to a close well past midnight, Natsu walked Lucy home.

On the way, he slipped his warm and slightly calloused hand into hers, as their fingers entwined.

"Natsu, I never knew that would happen on your search for the herb." Lucy's voice broke the silence.

Grinning under the moonlit night, Natsu shrugged, still keeping a tight hold on her hand. "Well, it was a miraculous search that led to a miraculous ending."

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: Yay! The thought doing a character death came to me, then immediately said no to the idea as I don't want a depressing ending to my first fanfic. Maybe next time, hm? This isn't the end, but second to last chapter. Again, so happy that this one turned out all right, but not sure if you don't think that well of this one. Is it all right? I haven't had much experience writing sad things, this is probably the second time.**

 **Again, like my message above, I LOVE YOU ALL, AND THANK YOU! This is a melancholy ending, as I'm happy to finish (or almost finish) a chapter fanfic, but I'm sad that it's the end of this journey. But hey, Fairy Tail is an eternal adventure, so I'll be back!**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **TkDj64 - Was it that dramatic? Really, I agree with you, I'd never be able to say that to a whole bunch of people!**

 **ladystiletto04 - Thank you. I never knew it would seem like that, and what you have wrote really made me see things differently. So I clarified it in this one, thanks again. (:**

 **Flower Crown of Poppy - Well I didn't want to make it that suspenseful for too long... I'd love to see you write a FT fanfic of your own too!**


	12. In the Future

_**I'm Dense, You're Denser, We're the Densest**_

 _Chapter 12 - In the Future_

 **Previously:** _As the party drew to a close well past midnight, Natsu walked Lucy home._

 _On the way, he slipped his warm and slightly calloused hand into hers, as their fingers entwined._

 _"Natsu, I never knew that would happen on your search for the herb." Lucy's voice broke the silence._

 _Grinning under the moonlit night, Natsu shrugged, still keeping a tight hold on her hand. "Well, it was a miraculous search that led to a_ miraculous ending."

.:**:. .:**:.

Dιѕclαмer: I doɴ'т owɴ Fαιry Tαιl, Hιro Mαѕнιмα doeѕ! All I owɴ ιѕ тнιѕ ғαɴғιcтιoɴ.

.:**:. .:**:.

After Lucy's 'revival' of sorts, the guild was more lively than ever. Lucy was often founds next to Natsu, except for the times he left her side to fight Gray. Or when he used her bathroom to shower and... do what you do in a bathroom.

And so, as Natsu was using her bathroom, Lucy was frantically scribbling in her diary. She wrote about everything that happened during the mission, the journey that Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy went on, and of them saving her. She also wrote about how much more caring Natsu seemed to be. There were also times when he'd open his mouth as if to speak, but he shut it again. Lucy was puzzled when that happened. Didn't they tell each other everything? Had she done something to upset him? But, she realized, she didn't tell Natsu _everything._

She hadn't told him that she loves him.

Finishing her diary entry, Lucy snapped her diary closed, and put her pen to the side. Stretching her arms above her head, she winced as she cracked her knuckles. Looking down at the diary, Lucy noticed something that she hadn't seen before. The last page was sticking out more than the others. _'Why?'_

Lucy flipped open the back cover of the diary, than gasped in surprise - and delight. For on that last page, were the words,

 _Dear Lucy's Diary,_

 _I'm sorry for writing here without Luce's permission, but… oh well? I just want to say a few things. I'm not as dense as I seem, Lucy's denser than me, and we're both the densest people on earth. But I just want her to know that -_

 _I think I like her too._

Only one person would write in that messy handwriting, and leave part of the page ripped in the process; Natsu.

Heart fluttering in her chest, Lucy put the diary away as she heard Natsu coming out of the bathroom. So her feelings of love were not unrequited feelings after all! A smile bloomed on her face, as she randomly took a book off the shelf and pretended to read it. When instead, she was looking at Natsu who had walked into the living room.

"Hey, Luce, do you have an extra towel?" Natsu asked. His hair was dripping wet. Droplets of water fell off the pink strands and left small dark water marks in Lucy's carpet.

Lucy looked up in a nonchalant manner. "Oh yeah, it's in the closet," she replied, pointing to the white wooden door of a small storage closet.

Grinning and flashing his white canines, Natsu smiled. "Thanks!" Before walking to the closet, he asked, "You know you're reading the book upside down, right? And _The History of Slugs and Snails_? What kind of a book are you even reading?" Smirking silently as he left the living room, his sharp hearing caught the small squeal Lucy emitted.

.:**:. .:**:.

Natsu returned to the living room, with his hair now dry. Lucy was sitting on the couch reading another book - this time held right-side-up. "Eh, Lucy, what happened with _The History of Slugs and Snails?_ Finished it already?"

Lucy looked up from her new book, which was a book about dragon fairy tales. "Nah, it was too slow of a read. I prefer dragons," she said.

The two laughed at Lucy's pun, before Natsu sat down on the couch. Slinging his arm on the back of the couch, he read over Lucy's shoulder. A peaceful silence filled the living room.

.:**:. .:**:.

After reading a few more dragon stories together in silence, Lucy just had to speak. "So, Natsu," she started. Once he looked up, she continued. "Have you seen anyone touch my diary lately?" She couldn't help but notice him shift uncomfortably in his seat on the couch. Lucy held back a smile, but her lips twitched just a bit. Then Natsu shook his head.

"Really?" Lucy asked. "Because somebody wrote a confession of sorts in my diary. On the last page. AND, it looks like your handwriting."

Natsu was now silently panicking. "Umm... err..."

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

That was the last straw for Natsu, he broke down. "I wrote that!" he said rather loudly. "I really, really like you Lucy, even more than I like Erza!"

A frown graced Lucy's face. "Then you just like me as your best friend?" She was determined to get Natsu to say the three words in front of her.

Shaking his head, Natsu tried again. "Lucy, I really love you!"

With those words, Lucy flung herself at him. She hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest. "Well I love you too. You should have told me sooner, I've loved you for such a long time."

.:**:. .:**:.

Late afternoon of their confession, when Gray and Erza and Happy snuck into Lucy's house, they were greeted by an adorable sight. The two - Lucy and Natsu - were asleep on Lucy's couch, with Lucy's head tucked right under his chin.

The three silently left the apartment, not bothering the cute couple.

.:**:. .:**:.

The next day, Mirajane was in heaven. She would be getting her blonde hair, onyx eyed and pink hair, brown eyed babies soon.

She could see that in the future.

.:**:. .:**:.

 **A/N: And THE END. *Sob* I didn't want this to end. Thank you EVERYONE who helped me and supported me all the way. I wouldn't have finished this if you haven't.**

 **As for my next story... I'm probably going to do the plot that is in my poll on my page. We'll see though, who knows what every day life will bring, hn?**

 **It's time for me to say goodbye. This has been a great experience, I know I grew as a writer. And those times where I was slow at posting, super late apologies.**

 **Until next time,**

 **dolphintale204**

.:**:. .:**:.

 **Guest - That would have been a good idea. Probably unrealistic on my side, I suppose.**

 **Flower Crown Of Poppy - Thanks a million for always reviewing and commenting about my work! I, too, am sad that this is ending. But Fairy Tail is a never-ending adventure, so I'll be back soon!**

 **In regards to your new FT fic, I'll be waiting!**


End file.
